


Love Through Time

by NightLily97



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Assassin's Creed (Video Game), Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Assassin's Creed: Unity, Falling In Love, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-03-03 16:36:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13345176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightLily97/pseuds/NightLily97
Summary: Guess who's back!So...it has been a long time since I've uploaded anything here.This is a Arno/Jacob fic I've wrote a while ago.Most of it relays on Alternative univere in the modern setting.Sorry for any possible grammar mistakes.A short chapter for beginning. Hope you enjoy~





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's back!  
> So...it has been a long time since I've uploaded anything here.  
> This is a Arno/Jacob fic I've wrote a while ago.  
> Most of it relays on Alternative univere in the modern setting.  
> Sorry for any possible grammar mistakes.  
> A short chapter for beginning. Hope you enjoy~

_I met a guy once._  
_There wasn't anything special about him. He was pretty tall, French. His light brown hair was tied into a short ponytail and his golden eyes reminded me of hawk's eyes, observing his territory for prey._  
_Oh, and he was an Assassin as well._

Arno Dorian was quite a legend among the French brotherhood. He was an orphan who joined the Assassins and trained to fight for France and free its people from the revolution. He wanted, and succeeded, to help his country win an impossible war.  
There were very few books with any kind of information about him, but his actions left a big mark over France's history. He was an outstanding fighter, using stealth to his advantage. His combat skills weren't too bad either and he knew how to combine the two and defeat his enemies quickly and efficiently.  
Arno was everything I would never be. 

I was sitting in my train hideout, reading a book borrowed from the council's library. We freed London from the Templars and now we mainly cleaned the streets from the influence of the Blighters. My Rooks were stronger than ever and there wasn't a district which didn't know who we are.  
My sister told me she found an interesting book and gave it to me. I wasn't really interested in that first, but the article about Arno kept me focused on the book for what felt like forever. The train did a whole round at London's stations, maybe even two, by the time I read everything.  
The French revolution started a bit after the Colonial. The French people believed they deserved freedom and rights like the small 13 colonials which separate themselves from England.  
And so started a horrible war. 

Arno trained as an Assassin when he was 21 years old and from that moment on, he helped the French people fight their freedom against the royal family. He lead the citizens, gave them the courage to speak up, cause riots, do anything they can to rebel the authority.  
I wish there was more information about him, but it felt like all of his past was deleted.  
I felt nothing but admiration for the guy. He was an outstanding Assassin and I wasn't even close to his level. 

Sighing, I closed the book, pushing it aside. I think it was enough reading. I leaned backwards in my seat, placing my feet on the table and crossed my arms. It was weird. I wish I could meet him. I had so much to ask. While I want to believe I did a good job helping London, the doubt from the people around me got to me at some point. I felt like I wasn't good enough. I'll never be.  
He was a good fighter, good with planning and tactics. If I had him by my side, I could have avoided so many troubles I caused.  
I fixed my hair and wore my hat back on, a short nap won't hurt. 

"Wake up. We have a mission." 

What woke me up was Evie's voice. I opened my eyes to look at her and yawned. "What kind of a mission...?" 

"The Blighters have found a lead to an artifact. They want power in order to put another in Starrick's place." She explained, "we must get there before they do." 

"Chasing artifacts it's your and Henry's job, sister dear. Leave me out of it." I waved her off. Calm, small, missions like chasing after artifacts wasn’t really my thing. I preferred missions with a bit more action.  
From the beginning, Evie and I had our disagreement about the subject. Looking for artifacts wouldn’t help us beat our enemy. Going out there and kicking the bloody Templars off our streets will.

"Henry can't make it." Evie insisted, "he's busy with his shop. I need a partner on this one." She crossed her arms. God, I hated it when she gave me looks like this. I didn't understand her.  
We had only one mission together and it was against Starrick. We never worked together, even back in Crawley. We may be twins but the difference between us was like the difference between the ground and the sky,  
Yet… we always had each other’s back. We wouldn’t disappoint each other. And I couldn’t let her go alone. Even if I wasn’t showing it – I was worried about her. And soon she’s going to leave England and move to India with Greenie.  
I sighed and stood up. Well, it's not like I had something better to do. And I didn't want to believe we freed London for nothing. 

"A'righ, after you, dame Evie Frye." 

 

Our mission was simple. I didn't know if it was my imagination or if it really was easy.  
Evie found an underground tunnel, a part of the Blighters’ previous work. I guess that after digging in the ground in various places they eventually found more than they told Starrick.  
My twin led the way, telling me to watch closely on my step. She always was great at stealth that even I lost her when she snuck around, even if she was right in front of me.  
As we made our way deeper, we started noticing guards. Lookouts were placed to make sure no one but them enters. We looked at each other and nodded. 

I threw a voltaic bomb in and Evie threw a smoke bomb. The closest guards to us electrocuted and died. I quickly got in, hiding in the smoke as I snuck and killed the others. My sister waited patiently for the smoke to wear off before we made our way deeper inside the tunnels. She wasn’t the type to jump into a fight like this. Sometimes I wonder what help Henry ever gave her.  
Soon enough, we could hear it. Someone yelling at the others to hurry up, to be careful and make sure no one is coming. The both of us understood we finally found it. The new artifact.  
Evie and I quietly surrounded them from the back and attacked together on her signal.  
Two fell on the floor, we killed the third together. So, that was it. 

"Is the artifact in there?" I pointed at the chest. Evie shrugged and told me to open it. I did so, seeing a round, glowing, object inside. 

"The apple..." My sister mumbled next to me. The apple? Like, the apple of Eden Eve took a bite off? 

"Jacob! Don-!" Evie warned me as I reached my hand to grab it. I quickly understood her worry when I felt myself flying across the room, groaning in pain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took longer than it should had...  
> Chapter 2!  
> Hope it makes sence.

"Hey, are you okay?" Someone shook me, waking me up. I groaned in pain, slowly opening my eyes. I was met with golden, hawk-like, eyes which studied me with curiosity and worry.  
Who was he?  
"Monsieur?" His thick French accent asked again, "est ce que ça va?"  
I didn't understand a word. Whatever language he was speaking, I’m pretty sure English it wasn’t. 

"I... Don't understand you." I slowly sat down, hissing in pain. Where the hell is Evie? The artifact?  
I looked around myself in panic, looking for the Apple. If it brought me here is should be here somewhere.  
I reached a hand into my pockets and there the cursed thing was. I sighed in relief. 

Slowly standing up, I inspected my surroundings. The street was narrower than what I was used to. There were no sidewalks, no carriages and no big signs of Strarrick's factories. The building design looked more or less similar, the disgusting smell from the nearby river was still there, but.. This clearly wasn't London. Where the heck was I?  
The flag on the building in front of me told me exactly what I needed to know. I was in France.

"How's your head?" The guy’s voice returned my attention to him, "that was quite a fall, mon ami."  
Fall? I didn't fall. The apple's whiplash sent me flying back against a wall. I was in a close building underground.  
Wait…why was I able to understand him now?

I looked at him, studying his appearance. He was wearing a blue robe, with a hood which covered most of his face. A white shirt could be seen from underneath and he had a red scarf around his neck.  
As for his bracer, it was unlike anything I have seen before. He had a miniature crossbow attached to it instead of the usual blade. On his waist, I could see a sword, a gun, and pouches which probably contained medicine, bombs and arrows for that strange crossbow.  
An Assassin. A French Assassin. No. It can't be.. 

"Arno Dorian?" I asked. 

Hearing his name, Arno looked at me confused. "Have we met before?"  
I swallowed. It was him. It really was him. But Arno lived during the French revolution! He died years before I was born! 

It’s the apple’s doing with no doubt. "What year is it..?" I asked quietly. 

"1794." Arno looked at me, a bit confused. "Do you have a concussion? Amnesia?" 

"No..." I shook my head, "I am.. A'right..."  
I wasn't. 1794... How the bloody hell I got myself to 1794?

"You are not from around here." Arno noted as we walked in the streets of Paris. He walked me to a doctor so I will get checked for any possible injuries. The man did confirm a slight concussion but no fatal damage. I tried answering his questions carefully, it was unlike me to think before I say something, but this was a different occasion. One word out of place and I’ll raise suspicion. This is the last thing I wanted right now.

As we walked, I reached a hand into the pocket. The apple was still there, but unlike the first time, it wasn't glowing, and it let me touch it. _'What is going on here?'_

"Jacob?"  
I looked up hearing my name. Arno gave me a concerned look and it made me realize I was spacing out. 

"Oh, right. I am from England." I explained, removing my hand from my pocket. "I... Was sent here on a mission, but lost my way." This was the best excuse I could think of. I couldn't say anything about the artifact or being from a different time. Arno wouldn't believe me. I sounded ridiculous even to myself. 

"What kind of mission?" The French asked, leading me towards something that looked like a café. 

"I...to help you actually." Another quickly thought of lie. I had nothing else on my mind, and I knew for sure the revolution didn't end yet. Arno probably needed help one way or another, and I needed an excuse to stay close to him. 

"The council didn't inform me a British Assassin is coming to help." He frowned, taking me to the backyard, "are you sure?" 

"It was a rush decision. Perhaps they didn't have enough time to tell them." I smiled lightly, I felt like I tried to believe my lie more than making Arno believe it.  
He didn't look too convinced but I had no other excuse but this one. And I intended to stick with that. 

"Alright. You want to help?" Arno asked, turning to face me, "let's see how good you are."  
I looked at him, confused. He wanted me to show my combat skills to him?  
"Are you up for a fight against me?" He asked. I nodded. I had to stay here. I had to make sure he believes me. I was willing to do anything since Arno was the only one who could help me in this really confusing situation.  
I hope Evie was okay. I wondered how she is doing. 

Arno was really good at combat, exactly as the book said. He fought with technic and recovered quickly from surprise attacks. To make the whole thing fair, swords, guns and bombs were left out of the fight. We had nothing but our skill and blades to trust on. After all, that was the most important thing in a fight, no? 

I managed to overpower him a few times, but even though he was an Assassin less time than me, he was more skilled. And it only added more to my self-doubt.  
I ended on the ground, panting, with Arno's blade at my neck.  
"Bloody hell...." I breathed out, trying to catch my breath. 

"You are a good fighter." The French smiled at me, retrieving his blade. "Thought you still have something to learn, I believe you will be a helpful ally." 

_'I freed the city of London from the Templars,'_ I thought a bit annoyed, _'I am more than capable to help you with your little revolution.'_  
Arno helped me stand up, still smiling. He explained to me the theatre café is his little base. He helped the owner renovate the building and she gave him a place he could stay in and missions to weaken the authorities. 

I was quite proud of myself I managed to make him let me stay. The apple wasn't working anyway. But it gave me what I wanted. It gave me a chance to be close to Arno and learn from him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...  
> I tried.
> 
> Be careful, this once contains spoilers both to Syndicate and Unity.  
> Or more likely, this entire thing is one small (or big) spoiler.  
> I didn't play Unity (lag problems) so don't judge if it didn't turn out well.

_I fell in love._  
_He was so kind, pure-hearted…_  
_He has been through a lot himself and yet stayed true to his way._  
_No one had ever been so kind to me before._  
_I had a lot to learn from him._

_But…_

_He was in love._  
_It was a woman. She was shorter than him by a bit, he red hair was always held behind her head with a hairpin._  
_She was his most cherished childhood friend._  
_And she was a Templar._

 

I have been in Paris for about two months now.  
I slowly got used to the streets, the districts, the people and even the food.  
The viewpoints were a great help in getting around and Arno showed me around as well. We were getting to know each other and actually got along quite good.  
He reminded me a lot of my sister, using his stealth more often than his combat and planning tactics before attacking his targets. He collected data on his enemies before planning an attack, whenever he faced a decision he didn’t do anything reckless like I would but planned everything through. His seriousness was something I saw a lot. Arno didn’t feel for me like the type I could sit in a pub with and joke about things. 

But although his similarities to Evie, I found myself becoming more and more interested in him.  
I became interested in his past, in his interest, in his tactics and skills.  
Any missing information from the book I could learn from the person himself.

My interest turned into admiration.  
Admiration turned into liking and before I knew it I fell for him.  
I fell for the guy I wished to meet so bad. 

Arno was a great Assassin and a person. He gave me a place to stay, took me out on missions with him and introduced me to people and places which could help me in case I get lost or hurt.  
And I fell for him. Nobody ever showed me this kindness; nobody ever treated me with such care. And although we made fun of each other, we were still quite close. 

How delusional I was.

 

I soon came to meet a woman named Élise. Every bone in my body hated her.  
The first thing I noticed was the Templar cross pendant she wore around her neck. I didn’t understand what was he doing with her, but the look on Arno's face told me everything I needed to know. 

The two were in love. 

From what he told me, Élise blamed Arno for the death of her father for a long time, and the fact he was an Assassin and she a Templar only added to her anger.  
Now, when the truth was known to her, she joined his side and they were haunting for the head of the entire conspiracy against Élise's father.  
I heard Arno mentioning her name a few times in the past, but I didn't put much thought into it until now.  
She hated me too, I could tell.  
She didn't trust me. She didn't want me there. She didn’t want me near him.  
But there was nothing she, or I, could do about that.  
The only thing we shared was our liking of Arno. 

Élise actually asked me to talk with her once, her green eyes piercing me with stare alone. I nodded, confused, and followed her.  
She threatened me.  
I looked at her surprised as she told me to stay away from Arno and make sure I don't infect him with my disease. I blinked at her a few times, giving her a blank look. I hated her, but I had no intention to make her break up with Arno, especially when I saw just how happy the French was with her.  
"It’s just your imagination.” I tried to brush it off, trying not to look, or sound, as hurt as I was. “I have no interest in him. French boy is all yours.” 

"Good. Be sure to remember that." She walked away. But her attitude towards me didn't change.  
God, I wanted to punch her. If it wasn’t for Arno and my will to stay close, this traitor would be dead now.  
We made sure to keep our mutual hatred for each other away from Arno. We didn't want him to know the two people close to him didn't get along. Of course, I knew for a fact he would choose Élise over me. I knew him for two months. She knew him for 18 years. 

 

"Can't fall asleep, mon ami?" I heard a voice. Turning around, I saw Arno. He was walking close to me, sitting on the well in the backyard of the café next to me.

"Yeah, I have too much on my mind..." I sighed, moving my fingers through my hair. 

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" The French asked, looking up at the sky, "too bad my country is destroying itself..." He then looked at me; I could feel his hand on my shoulder. "What troubles you, Jacob?" 

I shrugged, rubbing my face with my hands. "Being here… It's not like being at home. I miss it a bit." I never thought I will miss home like this so much. I missed the train, Evie, my Rooks. The streets and the buildings in France were a lot different than in England.  
"You can always return..." 

_'I wish I could.'_ I thought. The apple didn't respond to anything. I begged it to take me back home, but it stayed as it is. Still.  
"I can't. Not until I help you bring peace to your country." I shook my head. "Besides, it’s a nice change from the same boring view of London.”  
For the past few months I tried my best to fight along Arno’s side, helping him and going on my own missions across Paris to take the Templars out as much as possible, leaving the main targets to him. 

"Thank you." Arno nodded, "your skills are outstanding, and you bring a lot of moral with your terrible humour." 

I chuckled. "I try my best." 

He laughed, tapping on my back. "We have a big mission soon. Élise found a lead to her father's true murderer. I will be really happy if you join us." 

Something in my chest felt... Weird. I could feel my cheeks warming up as well. Was I actually blushing? God, this was embarrassing.  
"Sure." I nodded. "I will go to sleep." I had to get away from him before I'll do something I'll regret later on. 

"Goodnight, Jacob."  
I stood up and walked away. That night, I had my first dream about Arno Dorian. 

 

Arno told me about his and Élise's latest discovery. Their target, Germain, was in a place called 'the Temple.' The both of the planned attacking him there and defeating him once and for all.  
"You will come, right?" He looked at me, "you promised. And we’ll probably need the help.”

I nodded. "Of course. I promised." I smiled, "just tell me where and when." 

Arno smiled back at me. "We are meeting Élise there. In two days." 

 

As he said, we met Élise at the Temple. We ended waiting for her until we heard something which resembled footsteps.  
"What is the plan?" Arno looked at her. I wondered sometimes why he trusted her so much. She was a bloody Templar. Who said all of this isn't some kind of a trap?  
"We should split up." She said. Who says that? I thought it was an important mission against a difficult target. Splitting up is the last thing we should think of.  
Arno acted completely differently with her around. He was less his reasonable self.  
"Less chance we get caught that way." She continued, "we'll meet again inside. If any of you get a shot at Germain, take it." We nodded and the three of us made our way inside. 

Arno and I ended going in the same direction. Our eagle vision led us to Germain.  
We snuck quietly, killing any witnesses before they could scream and call for help. We reached the top in no time.  
Germain was standing there, a glowing sword in his hand. I would recognize this glow everywhere. Another artifact.  
But why could Germain hold it without a problem while I was sent back in time? Did the different artifacts react differently? Well, Starrick could wear the Shroud of Eden with no problem, too.

Before I could warn Arno, Germain pointed the sword at us and we ducked, taking a cover.  
"Mon dieu. What was that?" 

"Arno... Be careful." I warned, "it's a piece of Eden. They are really dangerous."  
He nodded.  
I looked at Arno, who signaled me to stay still. I listened to him, knowing he probably knows better than I do about this guy. I could tell he was trying to think of a plan over the obnoxious voice of the guy.  
We sat there in silence as our target kept talking about Arno, how much of troubles he has caused him with his actions. None of this seemed to bother him.  
But as soon as the guy started talking about Élise, I could notice a change in his expression. 

I didn’t like it. Germain obviously tried hitting Arno’s sensitive spots in order to drive him out of his hiding spot and attack.  
Before I could stop him, Arno started running toward Germain's direction. The Templar used his sword again to attack Arno, sending him flying backwards. Then, just as I tried to attack, he disappeared. Germain probably used the sword to teleport.  
Will it help me return home?  
"What... How..." 

I ran towards Arno, helping him stand up. "We must take it away from him. It's a dangerous weapon."  
Arno nodded and we ran downstairs. 

 

We met Élise again at the catacombs. She didn't see him, which meant he retrieved into his vault which she found. Arno unlocked it and Élise quickly ran inside. We followed her, being as cautious as possible.  
Germain noticed us and used the sword again. The three of us took cover.  
Arno and Élise decided on a plan while we listened to his rubbish once again.  
She will distract the target while him and try to find a weak spot and attack him.  
Both Élise and I nodded. 

While Élise was distracting Germain with talking to him, Arno and I snuck around, looking for any possible way to attack him without meeting the sword's power.  
We attacked together, Germain desperately trying to use his sword against us.  
It fell off his hands and hit Arno while I tried to fight him off me.  
He flew backwards and got stuck under a pile of stones. Élise ran to help him while I continued struggling against Germain who avoided my attacks and reached for the sword.  
"Move away Assassin!" Élise yelled as she ran towards us. 

"Élise!" I heard Arno's voice. 

"Help Arno!" I shouted at her. 

"This is my fight! **My revenge!** " 

The yelling made me lost concentration and next shot hit me in the chest. I was pushed backwards and my back hit the wall. I fell down to my knees, my head was throbbing terribly. I could hear Arno's blurred voice calling Élise's name over and over the ringing in my ears.  
I tried to focus my attention on the scenery in front of me, but with no success.  
I collapsed.


	4. Chapter 4

_He was so broken. I couldn't help. I wasn't her, I wasn't who he wanted._  
_But I never stopped hoping one day I would be._

I woke up with a terrible headache. Slowly sitting down, I held my bandaged head, looking around. It was Arno's room in the café.  
What happened? Back at the Temple… Germain attacked us. Did Élise kill him? Was Arno okay? Where is he?  
I slowly sat down on the bed and stood up, making my way downstairs.  
I looked around the café, trying to locate Arno among the crowd. But he was nowhere to be seen. I frowned, could he be out? What if he’s dead? Where’s Élise in all of this mess?  
God, I knew I can’t trust her!

“Bonjour monsieur." One of the workers greeted me as she carried a tray with food for the customers. "I was hoping you wake up soon." 

“For how long was I out?” I asked her in wonder, not sure I’m going to like the answer.

“For about three days.” She answered, “We all were sure you have died when monsieur Arno carried you back in.”

I looked at her in terror. Three days? I was unconscious for three whole days? “Where is Arno? Is he okay?”  
The lady’s smile turned into a concern expression. She looked as if she’s not sure how to answer my question. _‘Don’t tell me he’s dead, say anything but that.’_ I don’t care if he ran away to marry the red-headed Templar or something, but he can’t be dead.

Before she could answer, I noticed Arno walking inside the café, a grieving look on his face. His eyes seemed to brighten a bit when he saw I was awake. The lady walked away and Arno got closer to me, his eyes examining me beneath his hood.  
I stayed quiet, looking back at him. What was going through his mind right now? Where was he? Why does he look like he just returned from a funeral of a close friend?

Oh no…  
“Arno…” I called in worry, watching as he walked right past me, making his way upstairs.  
She died. Élise died. Arno was all by himself right now.  
I considered following him. He can’t be alone at a time like this. But, I was a nobody to him and comforting people was the last thing I was good at.  
Yet… I liked the guy, and seeing him like this made me feel really uneasy.

"Arno...?"  
I made my way back upstairs to his room, looking around for him. For a second I thought he went up the ladder when I noticed a familiar blue coat outside on the balcony.  
I bit into my lower lip, thinking about the right approach to the subject. I know how much he loves her. She was his everything. The look in his eyes whenever she was by his side… 

“I lost my mother at birth…” I said quietly, leaning against the railing not too far from him, “my old man died nearly a year ago. I have only m sister left now…”  
Arno didn’t move or even made any try to acknowledge me. I continued anyway.  
“I’m sorry for your loss, I know how much she meant to you..” I looked down, trying to collect my thoughts, “and I’m sorry for not being more helpful in the situation. I was distracted and-“ 

“I don’t blame you for her death.” Arno cut me, “it’s me who wasn’t careful enough. I let that happen. Thank god... Thank god you are okay. I was afraid... You died too..."

I was caught off guard. I am the last thing the French should worry about. My well-being is not something he should concern himself with. I looked at him again, his face was covered entirely by his hood but I didn’t miss the few tears which ran down his cheeks. He was in a lot of pain. And there was nothing I could do to make him feel better. I can’t be her. If I could, I would have sacrificed myself just so she’ll be here now. I hated Élise from the bottom of my heart. But she was what Arno needs right now.

"Don't leave me... “  
I watched as Arno got closer to me. He sounded so…broken. I didn’t like where it was going to, but I didn’t say a thing.

“You can’t leave…” suddenly, his lips were against mine, and it was the best feeling in the world.  
But I didn’t feel the happiness I thought I would feel. I didn’t want things to be this way for the wrong reasons.  
I tried to pull away, but Arno grabbed tighter into me. He tasted a lot like alcohol.  
The last thing I remember is a bed and pain.

 

Arno apologized to me.  
After everything that happened, he stayed distant. He had so much in his head and too much grief in his heart. I didn’t want to interfere and after what happened I wanted my own space to collect my thoughts about everything.  
Arno wasn’t himself. I have no reason to be mad at him. It’s not an excuse, but he’s been through so much, I didn’t want it to be on his conscious as well.  


Staying in drove me insane, so I went out as much as possible, be in to spend the entire day in a pub or search someone to beat up until unconsciousness.  
I wasn’t myself as well. I wanted to go home but the stupid apple didn’t respond to me. I was starting to lose any hope I’ll ever return home. And then, I had Arno who seemed to lose any will to live by now. 

I wanted to do something for him. I wanted to cheer him up a bit. He has done so much for me ever since I showed up; I needed to repay him somehow. Maybe focusing my mind on making him feel better would ease me as well.  
The lady who runs the Theatre Café was a great help. Charlotte suggested a nice place in Paris and said she will ask her staff to prepare Arno's favourite meals. We could have a picnic, especially now that the city was a bit quieter.  
I thanked her for her help and waited for Arno to return.

Arno was nothing more than a ghost of himself. I could barely get his attention once he returned to the café. I asked him to join me outside, Charlotte promised me her people will take care of everything needed. Arno looked hesitant, and I knew he didn’t want to go anywhere right now. But walking around like nothing but a living corpse, torturing himself by visiting her grave nonstop – it wasn’t the answer.  
I insisted, I refused getting any other answer but a ‘yes’.  
Arno finally gave in and accepted my offer.

I took him to the Le Quartier Latin district, where Charlotte said there was a nice park by the observatory. We took a carriage there, Arno being quite the entire ride. I looked at him in concern, but he avoided my look. I heard his voice only once when he asked where are we going.  
I told him it was a surprise and he didn't say another word.

Coming out of the carriage, I asked Arno to close his eyes and took his hand in mine. He took his hand back at first, but in my second attempt he played along and let me lead him.  
I could see Charlotte's staff standing behind a nearby tree and god, they did an amazing job.  
A blanket was put on the ground with a basket full of the food they made. I could see a bottle of wine, and candles and oil lamps which were lit around to give us light in the evening which was getting closer.

Everything was amazing. And the smell was great as well.  
I lead him closer, Charlotte's people waved at me and wished me a quiet 'good luck' before walking away. I told Arno he can open his eyes now and carefully watched his reaction.  
His face went from sadness to surprise. The light which disappeared from his eyes returned a bit.

"Jacob..." He asked me quietly, "what is this...?"

I shrugged. “Charlotte helped. If I tried to cook anything you’ll probably get a food poisoning. And…I thought you could use some fresh air-“

The sudden feeling of two arms around my body surprised me. Arno hugged me, burying his face in my shoulder. I gently patted his back.  
I never felt this worried about anyone before. He had no one now. His father died 19 years ago, his adoptive father died 5 years ago and Élise died a week ago.  
He was all by himself now.

"You have been through a lot, Arno..." I said softly, "I am terrible at comforting people, but I will do what I can.”

"Thank you, Jacob..." Arno said quietly, slowly letting go of me, "that was exactly what I needed now."

The two of us sat down and began to eat.  
I could notice Arno was ignoring looking at me or meeting my eyes. But he did seem a bit less depressed, and his golden eyes looked more alive than they used to. I made a few terrible jokes, wanting him to laugh. It worked. Seeing him slowly returning to himself made me really happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, hm...  
> This chapter has been through a lot.  
> The original draft I had for it felt... not good enough, so I re-wrote it about two times.  
> The chapter also was a lot longer (nearly 4000 words) so I divided it into two. 
> 
> I did a little research about the Parisian districts in the game to find a good place for their little picnic.  
> Hope you enjoyed it~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun

We had a nice evening. The candles and oil lamps were a big help once the sun set and the sky became darker. We finished eating and I stretched, leaning my back against the tree. Today was nice. It has been a while now since the last time Arno took a break from everything and had a bit of time for himself.  
I felt relieved as well. Having our relationship return to what it was before made me feel as if I huge weight was lifted off my chest. I couldn’t continue the daily routine of us ignoring each other and focusing our mind on other things instead of working things out. After all, I’m stuck here until the damn Apple decides I may return back. And being with Arno was better than going to the French council and ask them for help. 

"For how long...?" Arno’s quiet voice interfered my thoughts. looked at him confused.

"What?"

"For how long did you like me?"

I was caught off guard. Was it that obvious? I wonder what turned me in.  
Was it the way I was looking at him? Was it this small picnic I organized? Did I drop any hints in the past three months we spent together? Did Élise tell him at some point before her death?  
I didn’t take my eyes off him, trying to find the right words. Should I just be honest? Or maybe it would be better if I deny everything right now? The last thing Arno needed after the death of his loved one is a guy confessing to him about his crush. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I chuckled, busying myself with cleaning all the leftovers and trash back into the basket. “It’s getting late. You should start moving your arse back to the café.” 

"For how long, Jacob?" Arno asked again, his tone is calm but demanding.

“I honestly…" I didn’t know what to say. I got myself into a mess and I couldn’t get out of it now.  
I love Arno, and I care deeply for him. I want him to myself.  
But the apple will take me back home one day. And then what?  
Still, I couldn't help but feel attached to the love and warmth he offered me.

I felt Arno's lips against mine. It was a slow, soft, kiss. Completely different from the one we shared a week ago.  
His hand stroked my cheek, sending shivers down my spine. I couldn't understand the look on his face. It looked a lot like guilt. For what? For Élise? For liking someone besides her?  
There was also confusion. He wasn't sure of his feelings. He wasn't sure if what he was doing is right. Warmth. Care. So much for just one look.

"Arno.. You don't have to.” I moved his hand away, getting farther off him a little. “I am fine with my feelings being one-sided." That's at least what I wanted to believe in. I have been telling so much lies lately, they came out naturally now. 

"I... Élise told me you can't be trusted." He said quietly, "numerous times. But.. I pushed it away. You are an Assassin, a brother. Why can't I trust you? I can't help but feel... That in a way I chose you over her."  
My cheeks felt warm. He wasn't looking directly at me, it felt like he tried to look at something past me. Something which wasn’t there anymore.

"Your eyes... So similar to hers.."  
It made me look away. Arno placed a hand on my cheek, brushing his thumb over my lower lip. "Jacob Frye..." He said quietly, "if you give me a bit time and patience... I promise to love you and care for you. You’re all I got left now, I… I want you to stay by my side.  
I don’t know what I was thinking. Arno clearly was too hurt, too blind, to thinking about the words coming out his mouth. He needed someone beside him to ease his pain, to make him forget about his dead love and help him move on. 

But I didn’t care at that moment. For me, it was no different than a confession.  
Without even thinking about the consequences, I nodded.  
What a mistake I made.

* 

It was a week before Arno's birthday. We were dating for a month now.  
And it was the best month I had my entire life.  
I watched as Arno slowly stopped grieving over the death of his lost love. He took a break from missions and we spent all of our free time together. We had free running contests across Paris's rooftops. He always won since he was an amazing free runner and he knew the environment better than me. 

He showed me more of the city. Places which used to be dangerous or crowded with people were now calmer. Paris was slowly returning to itself.  
When we felt like staying inside, Arno taught me different card games. In some I was better, at some I was worse.  
But I had an amazing time with him.

We often spent our nights in Arno’s room, lying on his bed while sharing experiences we both had before meeting. He would usually have his arm around me, patting my head as he talked about his childhood, his father, meeting with Élise and how he joined the brotherhood.  
It amazed me. I could hear all about Arno Dorian, from Arno Dorian himself. I could fall asleep listening to his voice. His French accent was really calming, and his touch felt so nice.  
I was falling deeper and deeper in love. I wanted him. I wanted to be with him. I wanted to stay.  
But the apple had different plans for me.

I was out, looking for a present for Arno.  
The French was on a mission the council insisted him to go on. He wasn't too pleased but promised me he will return soon, so I went out. I thought about buying him something that will last even if and when I leave. I wanted him to remember me.  
And I think I had an idea.

 

The time to say goodbye came quicker than I expected it to.  
But I wasn't ready.

A day before Arno's birthday I decided to write a letter. If I fail to tell him everything before I go, I wanted him to know the truth somehow. I sealed the letter and put his present on top of it.  
_‘What are you doing, Frye…?’_

"Princesse." I heard the familiar French accent calling my name. I smiled, turning around to look at him. 

“Would you look at that... I started thinking you lost your way, Mr. Dorian.”

"What do you have there?" Arno asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"Your present, of course." I kissed him, "but you can't open it yet."

"Can I give you my gift then?" He kissed me back. I chuckled.

"That's not how birthdays work."

He smiled and told me to close my eyes, taking my hand in his.  
When I got the okay to open my eyes, I saw a silver ring on my finger. Looking at him surprised, and mostly confused, I saw a matching one on his finger as well. "I want you to stay here, with me.” He spoke, his fingers brushing my hair, “if it wasn’t for you, I would have never returned to myself. You were by my side to cheer me even if you didn’t have to. Your mission ended after all. You could return home, but you stayed.. so please, stay here. Stay in Paris with me.”

I couldn't believe it. Arno wanted me? He wanted me to stay with him?  
How do I even respond to this?  
I did the first thing I thought of. I kissed him deeply, leading him to the bed. He fell down with me on top of him.  
I just don’t learn, do I? 

It was the night of Arno's birthday. I woke up to a bright light which filled the room. I looked for its source and it seemed to come from the pocket of my coat. Cruel fate.  
I looked at Arno who was deeply asleep and sighed, carefully standing up. I wore my clothes and weapons before placing my gift with the goodbye letter on his nightstand.  
I looked at him once again and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.  
"Happy birthday love... Thank you for everything. I hope we meet again."  
I took the apple into my hands and the entire room changed.


	6. Chapter 6

I felt broken again.

I remember having a dream last night. In the dream I was with Jacob, we were walking in the street. I was smiling at him. My Jacob, my beautiful Jacob that I loved so much.  
He was my everything. He was there to cheer me up and stay by my side after everything I've been through.

At first, he was nothing more than a replacement for the love I lost. There was something in him which reminded me of Élise. I felt like I was with her in a way whenever I was with him. My pain seemed to lessen whenever he was around.  
But I quickly understood that everything I was feeling towards him wasn’t because I tried to hold onto the last memory of my dead love, but became I was falling in love with the guy. 

How couldn't I?  
He was funny, charismatic, a great fighter and not to say beautiful. I never met someone like him in my life. Even Elise, the person I loved dearly for a long time didn’t make me feel what he did.

Suddenly Jacob stopped walking and looked at me. He smiled and hugged me. I hugged him back, holding him close to myself as I closed my eyes, enjoying his warmth and scent.

"Thank you... for everything..." I heard him whispers in my ear.  
I was confused. Why was he thanking me? I should be the one thanking him, he had done so much for me.  
I opened my eyes to look at him but he was gone.

 

"Jacob...!" I gasped as I woke up. A dream. Just a dream.  
I reached a hand to stroke his soft hair but was met the feeling of the pillow next to me. I turned to look at his side of the bed, he wasn't there.  
I frowned. Where was he? Maybe he woke up?

It was the middle of the night, where could he go already?  
"Jacob?" I called his name as I got out of bed. "Love? Where are you?" I tried again as I wore my pants.

I walked around my room, looking for him. I tried upstairs and then downstairs. He was nowhere to be found.  
Where is he? A night walk perhaps?

I returned back to my room, only now noticing the gift Jacob left for my birthday, I frowned as I noticed a letter above it.  
I took the envelope and opened it.  
As I read the letter I started to feel my hands shaking. 

_'Arno, love,_

_God, this isn’t going to be easy._  
_Where should I start?_  
_I guess I should first thank you. Thank you for an amazing time you gave me, for all the love and warmth and care you offered me._  
_I have never met someone like you my entire life and I probably never will._  
_Living with you in Paris sounds amazing, and I was really looking for it._  
_But…_ br /> _Life is not a fairy tale, we can’t get all we want._  
_I can’t have you._

_Arno, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you woke up to an empty bed._  
_I’m sorry you are reading this letter right now,_  
_I’m sorry I gave you false hope._

_The thing is, I don’t belong with you. I never did._  
_The thought I can’t be with you though I love you hurts Arno. It hurts and it won’t stop._  
_The past months we spent together were amazing, and I shouldn’t have asked for more._  
_But I did.  
_And my punishment for asking for more was to have you be taken away from me._ _

__

_My name is Jacob Frye. I have a twin sister and I was born in Crawley, UK, in 1948._  
_Do you understand now?_  
_I’m not from your time, I never was. I was born long after your time. Probably even after your death. An artifact, the Apple, brought me to you. It brought me because I wanted to know more about you, about your past, about the amazing things that you’ve done._  
_And once I got what I wanted, and even more, I was sent back to my time._

_I’m sorry._  
_This is my goodbye to you._  
_I just want to ask…please don’t go the same way you did before._  
_Even if I’m not by your side, I want you to keep fighting. I want you to continue helping those in need and bring them the hope they lost long ago._  
_Don’t lose yourself, Arno._

_Yours,_  
_Jacob Frye.'_

He... left me?  
No.  
No. He promised. He promised he'd stay with me! He loved me! There's no way he left!

As I finished reading the letter I felt tears. Jacob... he was too good to be true.  
He was gone. My love was taken away from me once again. And I was left all alone.  
I felt a terrible pain in my chest. It was worse than the feeling I had after Elise's death.

Jacob... he was there to support me, to cheer me up, to love me, to make me feel like I still have someone in this world. He brought so much light into my life.  
And he was gone.

I threw the letter in frustration, screaming from pain.  
I was all alone.  
I looked at my silver ring as I cried.  
_'Please... please return to me. I just wish to be with you again.'_

 

_I was broken._  
_Returning was the hardest thing I did. But I knew it was my fault. I am to blame._  
_I hurt Arno._

Jacob!" Evie's voice was the first thing I heard when I opened my eyes. She was leaning over me, her blue eyes shining from the years she had in them. "Jacob, thank goodness! I was worried sick!"

She hugged me tightly. I hugged her back, looking up at the hospital's ceiling. I tried to hold back my tears. Crying now was the worst thing I could do.

_'Please forgive me, Arno...'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A double chapter!  
> I thought whether should I divide chapter 5 into two or not and decided it will be a good idea since it'd take me a while to upload the next chapter.
> 
> And here basically ends the normal setting of the story.  
> Hope you enjoyed it! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm...  
> Hey!  
> It took me a while to upload this chapter simply because I don't believe it is good enough.  
> I overlook it every day thinking how I can fix it and ending with editing a word or two here and there.  
> Maybe I'll rewrite it someday, but I wanted to upload something before I won't have time to breath.
> 
> A little explanation:  
> The modern setting isn't too complicated.  
> They are all high-schoolers.  
> Arno, Elise, Shay, Malik and Altair are all 12th graders.  
> Jacob, Evie, Connor and Ezio are in the 11th grade.  
> (Unimportant: Shaun and Desmond in the 10th grade)  
> (Altaïr, Ezio and Connor are cousins. Altaïr is Desmond's older brother)  
> Charles and Ethan know each other through the brotherhood. (Will be important later)  
> I read in Ethan's bio that he was a school director, so that's his "job".  
> I think that's it.  
> If you have any questions or something feel free to ask. I know it might be confusing in the beginning but just...trust me, I guess?
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy~  
> (Switching between POVs will be noticeable by a short text of two or three sentences)

_I met a guy._  
_I didn't know his name, but he looked familiar, as if we met before._  
_His dark hair was always messy and his green eyes were too beautiful to look away._  
_I can swear I saw him before._  
_Where?_

It was the first day of my last high school year. Who ever thought that time will pass so quickly?  
I moved to the states two years ago with my father and started the 11th grade after we settled. Leaving France wasn't at my top 10 things I wanted to do, but when I heard Élise is moving as well I didn't even bother to object.  
We were good friends since childhood, spending most of our years together. We didn't live too close in France, and our houses in the states were pretty far too. But we still could meet over the weekends, the holidays or even during our time in school. 

It took me a while to get used to the new place. I didn't know anyone there besides Élise and at first, I spent all my time outside of classes with her. She was the only person I got along well, being my childhood friend and all.  
But soon I got to know a few more students from my class and we became close friends. 

"Remember we are meeting after school?"

"Oui, Élise." I sighed amused as we made our way into the building. 

"You better." 

"Don't worry." I promised. She stopped walking and so did I. I looked at her, her bright green eyes returning me a look.  
We started dating about three years ago if I'm not wrong. A week or so before my 15th birthday Élise and I went out to enjoy the last days of our summer break.  
We met in the city and walked through our favourite places.  
When we stopped in a cafe to eat something I noticed she looks kind of...off. So I asked her what was the matter and she confessed.  
I was caught off guard. I knew Élise for **forever** , and still, I missed that. But I also felt relief because I knew for a while my feelings for her were more than normal feelings for a friend. It just... felt right.

"See you later." Élise kissed me softly before walking to her class. 

"The two of you are still together?" Altaïr's voice came out of nowhere, "dude, break up with her already."  
I turned my head, seeing him leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. For how long was he here? I sometimes forget he's pretty good with stealth. 

"I don't want to break up with her. Thanks for your concern." I chuckled, starting to walk away.  
My friends weren't really that supportive. Probably because of the fact she was a Templar. But I won't fight with them because of a girl. They have their right to think whatever they want. 

"Look, two new students are joining Ezio and Connors' class." Altaïr caught up with me, his hood covering his face like always. "Maybe you'll like one of them." 

"How about 'no'?" I rolled my eyes, "I don't butt into your love life. Stay away from mine." 

"You know where to find me if you ever change your mind."

  
  


At the end of the short school day, I waited for Élise by my car.  
The school day went as boring as last year. We met few of our teachers from the year, some we knew from last year, some were new which we saw occasionally in the hallways.  
They introduced themselves, did a roll call, explained their teaching plan for the rest of the year and of course you can't start a new year without teaching and giving homework right on the first day.  
I sighed, trying not to think too much of it. Just one more year.

While I was waiting I noticed two really loud students making their way to their car which was next to mine. A guy, who looked a bit annoyed, and a girl who was trying to calm him down. They looked quite alike so I assumed the two were siblings or at least related in one way or another.  
The guy opened the passenger's seat and looked at me.  
I couldn't make the look on his face, it seemed somewhat close to a surprise. Recognition maybe?  
He looked at me, not blinking, not moving. From where I was standing, I could notice his eye colour. He had the same green colour as Élise.  
No… it was more of a hazel mixed with green. 

Only when his sister called his name he woke up from his trance and sat in the car.  
I watched as the car drove out of the parking lot and away from my sight.  
"Arno." I heard Élise's voice, "ready?" 

I smiled at her and nodded. "Oui, allons-y." 

  
  


_It wasn’t him._  
_I can’t be him._  
_Who is ‘him’ again?_

I held the necklace around my neck as I leaned against the window. A small silver ring I got from my father for my 16th birthday. I hung it around my neck since it felt a lot more comfortable this way.  
The guy in the parking lot... Who was he?  
He looked really familiar, it's hard to forget golden eyes like the ones he had.  
I could swear I have seen him before. But where? 

"Is everything okay?" My sister asked in wonder.  
I nodded, taking a deep breath. Maybe it was just my imagination. Moving to America didn't do any good to me. 

My father, my sister and I used to live in Crawly, UK, before father got a stupid job promotion. In less than a week we packed everything, sold the house and were on a plane to the states.  
Evie and I were two months away from finishing our 10th grade when father told us the news. I thought he'll at least wait for us to finish the school year, but I was wrong.  
I wasn't too happy about the move. We were two years away from finishing high school. We had a few friends and Evie's boyfriend who lived there temporally due to his own parents' work.  
And now, we left that all of that behind. Not like I had too much. But still, leaving the house I grew in, the streets I was so familiar with, mother's grave...  
It wasn't fair.  
My father told me to stop pouting about it and use it as a chance to start anew.  
That didn't make me feel any better.

The next day while I was putting things in my locker, I noticed him again. The same guy from the parking lot was talking with three other students, probably his friends.  
His bright golden eyes were noticeable even from this distance. I remember now I probably saw him a few times last year.  
Evie and I were visiting our new school to complete our exams and get used to the place, but we didn't participate in any of the classes.

"Who's that?" I asked Ezio. He was my classmates and my first acquaintance in this school together with his cousin, Connor. If it wasn't for Evie and her attempts to make me be a bit more 'friendly', I wouldn't even bother talking to any of them.  
Ezio looked at the direction I looked and smiled. 

"That, amico mio, is Arno Dorian. One of the popular guys in school." He said, looking back at me. "But don't waste your time. He's taken." 

"I wasn't planning to ask him out." I frowned, "he looks... Familiar."  
Arno caught me looking at him and I quickly looked away, walking to class with Evie while Ezio walked to talk with his cousin. 

His car was by ours again in the parking lot. But Arno wasn't alone this time. A red-headed girl was with him. His arms were wrapped her as they kissed. I looked away, trying to surpass the urge to vomit.  
When the girl noticed me she had a really scary look on her face. She looked really pissed though I was sure I didn't do anything to her. Or did I already manage to get into trouble?  
My sister handed me the car keys and I got inside, feeling the girl's look following me.  
What is her problem?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> I'm sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, I really have no life anymore.  
> Waking up at 6 am and returning home at 8 pm isn't so easy *sigh*.  
> But here it is! Chapter 8!  
> Hope you like it~
> 
> (Sorry for any grammar mistakes)

I don’t remember the last time I hated school so much.  
The new school was bigger than my last one, the students were meaner and my grades were dropping at an accelerating pace. 

Evie was at the top of the class already and the school year just started. Obviously.  
She always was quick to catch up with the school’s subjects and she never failed a single test. I have no idea how the hell this school agreed to have me.  
My lovely twin wasn't much of help, saying I'm too difficult to teach and I'll only distract her from her own studying.  
Connor offered to help me on any subject I am having troubles in.  
I could confidently say I liked him more than Ezio. 

Connor was a pretty quiet guy. He was half British, half Native American and he was nice to me. While Ezio was a loud Italian pervert, but he had a good sense of humour. Sometimes. 

Also, the red-headed girl didn’t stop giving me looks every time we saw each other.  
I can swear she tried tackling me a few times in the hall.  
I don’t know what her problem is but she’s insane if she thinks I’ll shut up about it. 

One day, when Evie and I made our way to our car I noticed a shiny object on the ground. I picked it up and inspected it. It was a simple silver ring, just like mine.  
Before I could compare the two, my twin honked at me. I put the ring in my pocket and walked to the car, closing the door.  
"Don't pick trash from the ground." 

I rolled my eyes. "I dropped something." 

"Oh, did you finally find your IQ?" 

She was really annoying. "Funny."  
  
  
  
_Something wasn’t right, and I wasn’t sure what._

"Arno." Élise looked up at me, "do you know the new guy?" 

"What new guy?" I asked, "from the eleventh grade?"  
The month flew by before I could even notice and we were only a few days away from October.  
Surely, I didn't expect time to go by this quick since every minute in class felt like a forever.  
But here we are.

Élise came over for me to keep her company since her father was out on one of his usual business meetings and she didn’t want to be all alone in her home.  
We were in the living room, a movie we chose was playing on the TV screen. My arm was wrapped around her, gently brushing her hair as leaned her head on my shoulder. I have to admit – Élise grew up to be a really beautiful girl. 

She nodded, her green eyes scanning my face for a reaction. I felt confused but shook my head. Why did she bring him out now?  
"I have no idea who he is." I saw him a few times in the parking lot and around school halls, but I didn’t know his name. If to be honest, I don’t really care.  
I wasn't really close to the eleventh graders. I could walk into their class and bring Altaïr's cousins homework and notes for him when he was absent. But besides this, I had nothing to look for in there. 

I was also pretty sure I managed to get into troubles with him. I don’t even know why. He was short, reaching just beneath my chin, but his height said nothing about his strength. I saw him getting into a fight more than once.  
I accidentally bumped into him in the hall once, and god, he sure knew how to curse.  
I made sure to stay as far as possible from him from that day forward. 

Élise seemed to consider my words before nodding and looking back at the TV.  
Was I supposed to know him?  
I felt Élise taking my hand in hers, starting to play with it.  
"What is it?" She asked, pointing at a weird looking mark on my finger. 

I used to wear a ring my father gave me two years ago for my birthday. He said it is something which passed in our family. Unfortunately, I lost it.  
I tried looking for it everywhere. In my room, in my car, at school, I even asked Élise and my friends if I left it over at their place but… they didn’t have it.  
Wiping away the mark didn’t work, so I brought my hand closer to my face to examine it. It looked like letters.  
Did the ring have an engraving on it?

“I…don't know.”

“You are becoming senile, old man.” 

"Oh, you're going to pay." I looked at her amused. She gasped, starting to laugh as I tickled her.  
Élise begged for mercy, but I wasn't planning on giving up to her so easily.  
We soon forgot all about the movie.  
  
  
  
_'Jacob Frye...if you give me a bit time and patience... I promise to love you and care for you. You’re all I got left now, I… I want you to stay by my side.'_

I don’t know what was my problem, but lately, I was having really weird dreams.  
Most of them were the same, having the same looking guy in each.  
He was taller, his hair was tied back, and his clothes look from a different time. 

He never spoke English in my dreams, so I couldn’t understand him. I didn’t even hear his name once. But after every dream, I woke up feeling like shit.  
After some, I woke up with my pillow being wet.  
I didn’t like it even one bit, but I had a feeling it had something to do with the ring I picked up.  
Now, I’m not a bit believer in curses, but this thing is definitely cursed. 

When I finished my homework, I put everything away and took the ring I found in my hand, studying it. It really was similar to mine. A simple silver band without any decorations on it.  
Could it be the two were made by the same man? Or maybe they were sold at the same store? I know mine passed in our family, so this ring was no older than mine.  
Looking closer, I noticed an engraving inside the ring. The name of its owner perhaps?  
To my surprise, it had my name. Jacob. 

I frowned, looking closer to make sure I am not wrong. It definitely was my name in it.  
I put the ring down and took mine in my hands. It can't be. I had this bloody ring for a year now, I would have noticed if it had any kind of engraving inside. My father didn't mention anything like this as well.  
But I was wrong. There was a similar engraving on my ring only with a different name. Arno.  
Arno...

As if in Arno Dorian? The same Arno Dorian I had in my school?  
I leaned my forehead against my palm, my head hurt.  
There is no way. This is a joke, right?  
I put the rings away. If one of them is mine, then the other belongs to Arno, right?  
But why? Why did his ring have my name on it and mine had his name? 

I shook my head, probably a weird coincidence. Arno doesn’t have to be a name.  
I remember it had something to do with eagles, maybe Evie will know the exact meaning.  
But it definitely doesn’t have to be a name.  
And the ‘Jacob’ on Arno’s ring…it could be a name of a family member. This ring is old, it passed few generations.  
Yes, that’s it. 

But, I can’t know this ring belongs to Arno for sure. I also don’t want to keep this ring with me.  
I will give it to the school’s secretary and they’ll deal the rest.  
But for some reason, I had a really strong feeling it did belong to the French.  
I’ll give it to him tomorrow and get rid of it. I don’t want it with me.  
  
The next day I hesitantly walked into the 12th grade class, where I was told Arno was.  
I peeked inside. Arno was sitting next to his table with three more guys, one of them I recognized as Altaïr, Ezio and Connors' cousin.  
"Arno?" I asked, walking up to his desk. He looked up at me. His golden eyes reminded me a lot of hawk eyes. 

"Oui?" 

"I... Believe this is yours." I took the ring out of my pocket and placed it on his desk. He took it in his hand and wore the ring on his finger, checking it. 

"Yes, thank you. I have been looking everywhere for this." He sighed in relief and looked again at me. I simply nodded and made my way out of his class. To my misfortune, Arno followed me.  
"Wait, where did you find it?" 

"At the school’s parking lot..." I answered quietly, avoiding any eye contact with him. His look was too much for me. Those golden eyes made me feel like I am being examined. I held onto my own ring, feeling nervous all of sudden.  
What is it with me? I never reacted this way to anyone, and I don’t even know the guy. I just want to go to back to my class.  
So that’s what I did. I didn’t wait for him to say anything else and turned to walk away, seeing the red-headed girl walking in my direction.  
Oh, this day just gets better and better.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey!!  
> First of all, I want to thank everyone for leaving a comment or kudos for this fic~  
> It really motivates me to find free time and continue updating the story.  
> I don't really have much free time lately, and the little time I do I spend on reading (I bought many new books who beg me to read them already)
> 
> I thank you for your patience and support <3  
> Here's chapter 9!
> 
> (Sorry for any grammar/French mistakes)

"Stay away from Arno." I heard a female French accent. Looking up, I saw the redheaded girl looking at me with fire in her eyes. Someone came with the mood to fight.  
What have I done now? What does she want from me?  
The entire class looked at us, but she didn't seem to care. I wanted to punch her so bad but I controlled myself. 

"Arno is mine. He was mine and he will be mine. Don't think you were more than a replacement."  
A replacement? What the hell is she talking about. Why would I even care about her stupid boyfriend? 

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I gave her a look back, "and I'm not after your French boy. So please get the fuck out of my face before I'll do something I might not even regret about later." 

"I don't know what kind of a game you're playing, Assassin..."  
I had enough. I stood up to be at the same eye level as her. Who does she think she is to come here and threaten me like this?

"Now you listen to me well, darling." I hissed, holding back from pulling her hair. "I don't know what do you want from me, but I do know that my fist will break your teeth. So get away from me and we won't have a problem."  
The redhead gave me one last stare before straightening and making her way out of my classroom.  
What the hell just happened?

Evie tried to question me about the incident, but I couldn’t answer her. I had no idea what happened myself.  
This crazy girl should learn how to control her temper or I won't be responsible for my actions next time.  
Our ride back home was quiet. Father said he would be late so Evie and I had enough time to prepare dinner. Or more likely – Evie will prepare the food and I’ll set the table. Nobody trusted me with making food in this house. You burn a pot once and they remember this for the rest of your lives. 

 

By the time he returned home, Evie and I finished our homework and preparing most of the food. While father took his time to wash up and change his clothes, we managed to finish everything on time and the three of us sat down.  
I convinced Evie not to tell father about what happened in class today with the redhead. I didn’t want any unneeded drama. 

“By the way, I got you a French tutor."  
I looked at him, surprised. "Quoi? Je n'ai pas besoin un tuteur."  
My fluent French caught Evie and father off guard. It didn't look like he expected it. I was managed to surprise myself as well. Up until now, I failed my French class, even in England. I just...couldn't understand it. The rules were too complicated and the pronunciation was impossible. It’s bad enough I’m getting low grades on my English testes because I use “British” English. I sighed.  
First a crazy redhead, then weird dreams and now this. Just perfect. Yes father, the move to the states did wonders to me.  
"I don't need a tutor."  
"Your F's and C's tell me otherwise."  
"Father-!"  
"Try a few lessons. If I won't see an improvement, you'll continue with the lessons."  
What’s so bad about knowing one language?

 

"Jacob, mind telling me what happened today?" My twin asked when she walked into my room.  
I didn’t look up from my notebook. I can’t explain what happened today, I can’t explain why the redhead is picking up on me. The school just started and I was already hating every second of it.  
Jacob.” Evie sat on my bed, waving her hand in front of my face.  
“I’m not in the mood to talk, Eves.”  
“First, a student from school seems to hate you. Do you know her?”  
“No, I don’t.” I really don’t. She acts like we know, like I’m after her boyfriend or something. Dating her must be hell.  
“The French?”  
My head hurt. “I don’t know...” I shrugged, “it just came out. I can’t even repeat it now.”  
She sighed, I could see she’s hesitating. “Does...your nightmares have anything to do with it?”  
I looked at her. How does she know?  
"We share a wall, baby brother. I can hear you scream and cry at night."  
Even after returning the ring my nightmares didn’t stop. I still had them, dreams about that guy, images of something which looked like France from earlier times.  
Everything was just making a big mess in my head.  
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before looking back at my notebook. “Get out, I want to finish my homework before father will get mad.”  
“Jacob-“  
“Bye, Evie.” I pushed her with my foot.

 

 _This guy... I knew him. I could swear we met before. But where? And when?_

My father told me I am going to tutor a son of his friend French. I didn't really object the whole thing, but a little warning could be really useful.  
He was to come today and bring his textbook for us to go over, so I cancelled my plans with Élise and waited for him. I hope it won't take too long, I had my own homework to do.  
_'Arno! He's here!'_ I heard my father calling me from downstairs. 

"Merci, papa!" I stood up and walked out of my room. I didn't even know who that was.  
I was surprised to see the dark-haired guy from school. He looked like he really didn't want to be here and he even had an annoyed look on his face.  
"Oh.. Bonjour."

He nodded politely. "Hey.”  
I explained how to get to my room before walking to the kitchen to bring us something to drink.  
So the new guy is having troubles with French, huh? I can’t say I took Jacob for a straight A’s student, so I don’t know why it surprised me to see him. I guess I didn’t expect him to be the son of my father’s friend.  
God, I just hope he doesn’t hold grudge against me for that incident at the beginning of the year. 

"Here you go." I walked into my room and placed the glass of water in front of him. It seemed like he settled pretty well in my room while he was waiting.  
I sat next to him and looked at his textbook and his test. Oh, mon dieu, we have a lot of work to do. 

Now, I can’t say my teaching skills are the best. French was my native language, so it was harder to explain why everything is as it is. For that, I had the book.  
I spent about an hour explaining him the basic grammar rules for building a sentence and the tenses. He seemed to understand it pretty well, and we even spoke French for most of the time.  
I didn't understand why he needed those French lessons. He was actually pretty good. Or maybe it’s a simple luck? 

 

My dad asked him to stay for dinner. The Brit tried to decline, but my dad isn’t one who will let a guest walk out without feeding him or her first. Go figure.  
He helped me set the table and the three of us sat down. I could feel he didn’t want to be there, and I didn’t really feel comfortable with him as well. Is it because I don’t know him or because I’m afraid he’ll punch me if I say the wrong thing?

"So, Jacob, how is your father?" My dad asked him. At least now I learned his name. 

"He's doing fine. We moved here because of his job promotion in the first place."  
The tone in Jacob’s words sounded...bitter, as if he really doesn’t want to talk about his father. I feel like I’m eavesdropping a privet conversation. Thank you dad, for making this uncomfortable. 

"I hope Arno is teaching you well." 

"Papa..." I complained. 

"Oh? Yeah, he explained me the material pretty well." Jacob nodded, "I understood most of it. Hm...thank you.” He looked at me now.  
I looked back. I didn't have many interactions with him, and the ones I did were quite unpleasant, but once he stopped being so hostile he could be a pretty cool guy. 

"I am glad I can be of help."

I walked Jacob to the front door after dinner, suggesting to drive him home. He shook his head, telling me his place is not that far.  
Okay, I’ve tried.  
"Say," I stopped him before he walked out, "where did you get the ring?"  
I was wondering about it the entire evening. Jacob’s ring looked similar to mine. I know you can buy simple silver rings even online for about a dollar or so. But I had a feeling Jacob wasn’t the type to buy jewellery. A gift from a girlfriend perhaps?

He looked down at his neck, holding onto his necklace. "A gift from my father. It passed in our family or something.”  
So just like mine, huh?  
Probably a weird coincidence, nothing more.  
Jacob said goodbye before walking away. I sighed and closed the door, making my way to my room. This day couldn’t be any weirder.

 

_Can my life get more unfair than this?_

I returned to Arno’s place for more lessons, father said I must go until my test. He talked with Arno’s father about the days and hours and sent me with money to give for the classes.  
Arno’s father refused taking it from me so I left it in Arno’s room before leaving. By the time I left he found it and tried to return it to me the next day in school.  
It became a routine.  
Three days after school I walked with Arno to his house, we studied for about two hours or so and I left. But not before hiding the money in his room.  
The next day Arno walked into my classroom to return it to me and I understood I need to hide it better.  
I kind of hoped he’ll get tired of it, but he never did. I don’t understand how he can keep up with it. Even I already started to have enough of this routine. Mainly because his stupid girlfriend didn’t stop giving me death glares every time I interrupted her and Arno’s making out sessions by his car.  
Disgusting. 

 

"Jacob Frye." I heard a familiar French accent. Already knowing who that is, I finished putting things in my locker before closing it and turned to look at him.

“Arno Dorian.”  
He held dollar bills, handing them to me. “Stop leaving money in my room.” 

"It wasn’t me.” 

"Frye, c’mon. I don’t want your money.” 

"You are teaching me French, I need to repay you.” 

“I don’t need your money.” He put the bills in my Jacket’s pocket. “Stop it.” 

“Then what do you want instead?” I was starting to get annoyed. What is his problem?  
Sure, I had no problem with taking the money to myself and lie to my father I gave it to Arno, but it was a deal of a principle here. Why does he refuse to take the money? Why was he so stubborn like his father?

“Well, you letting me get to know you better would be nice.” He crossed his arms. I blinked, looking at him both surprised and confused. 

“What?”  
Did I hear it right? Arno Dorian wants to get to know me? “Why?”  
I honestly didn’t want anything to do with him or his crazy girlfriend. 

“You’re a pretty cool guy. And you spend awfully a lot of time in my place.” 

“That’s... I’m...you’re teaching me French.” I gave him a look. “Besides, your girlfriend won’t like it. Bye, Dorian.” I walked past him, slipping the money into his bag. Arno stopped me before I could do so. Damn, the guy had fast reflexes. 

“What does Élise has to do with it?” 

I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”  
Should I tell him his psycho girlfriend hates me? No, that’s none of my business. Besides, what does he care? It’s not like he can control the bitch. 

“Just take it and leave me.” I pulled my arm out of his grip. 

“What does Élise has to do with it?” He repeated. 

“Ask her.” I walked away to my classroom, having no will to stay there for too long. I already started having headaches just talking with him.  
He wants to get to know me? What a joke.

 

“Okay, that’s pretty much it.” Arno said after we finished studying. 

I finished taking notes before putting my pen down and sighing in relief. “Fucking finally.”

“Did you really have an awful time studying with me?” 

I looked at him. “The worst.” 

“You are terrible, Jacob Frye.”

I chuckled, starting to pack my things. “Someone said something similar to me yesterday in the hall. He has a broken nose now.”  
Arno seemed hesitant at my comment, it made me laugh. This guy was definitely not the type I would befriend with. We were too different, getting along would be impossible.  
“I’m joking.”

He sighed in relief.

“Or am I?”

“God damn it, Frye.”

I smiled and stood up, making sure I didn’t forget anything in his room. “You better pray tonight. My success on the test depends on you. And if I get a good grade we won’t have to see each other outside of school.” Father will finally get off my back about going to tutoring sessions and Elise will stop trying to make my head explode with her look. 

“Would you like to make a deal?”

I frowned, not liking this direction. “What kind of a deal?” 

“You pass the test, we hang out this weekend.” 

“And do what? Study more French? I’ll go insane if I hear this language more than necessary.” Not to say Arno’s accent was pretty much a turn on. But I’ll never admit that to him. I can see why about 80% of the girls have a crush on him. He sounds good when he speaks French. 

“How about a jog around the neighbourhood? Then you can come over and we’ll play some video games.”  
It was a pretty good offer, I had to admit. Especially because my weekends usually consisted of waking up early to Evie talking with her boyfriend over video chat, staying in bed until the afternoon, having father lecture me about sleeping in, eating something, doing my homework and then play games until late at night. I don’t remember the last time I went for a run. Probably because I wanted to get to know the neighbourhood better or else I might get lost. 

“Alright, whatever.” I rolled my eyes, “I’ll let you know.”

 

I looked at the mark I had on my test.  
The teacher didn’t let me leave the classroom until she finished checking it, which is unfair because I missed out launch. But when she finished she had a smile on her face and that really scared me.  
“Congratulations Frye,” She handed it to me, “you got a B-, I expect you to keep it this way.”  
It means I passed right? I should be happy, but I remember the deal I made with Arno yesterday and sighed. 

_‘I’m screwed.'_


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. My. God!!!  
> I'm so sorry this chapter took me a forever to upload!  
> I was on a month off during May, then I had to work my ass off during June and lately, I was having a terrible writer's block!  
> Thanks to my friend who helped me finish this chapter, I don't know what I would have done without her <3
> 
> A new story is on its way as well, so look out for it!  
> Enjoy your reading and have a great week! <3<3<3

This guy…  
He's so good at driving me crazy  
_I can't get over the feeling I know him, or should know him at least.  
_ Maybe I'm simply going insane.

The weekend came faster than I expected it to. With homework, tests, my friends and Èlise, I lost track of time.   
The Brit and I didn't speak since our last studying before his exam, which was supposed to be on Monday. Besides a simple ‘hello’ when we met in the halls, we didn't speak much. I didn't even get to ask him about his test.  
On Wednesday Jacob sent me his test result. A photo of his test with a B- circled in red.

B-..  
Mon dieu, the guy managed to pass it.

 _‘When and where?’_ Was the message sent after it.

Right, our little bet.

‘Sunday. 6 am.’

_‘Are you trying to bloody kill me?’_

I chuckled. Must he always be so aggressive?

‘It's better to run before the sun comes out.’

‘What sun? It's the fucking Autumn right now.’

‘We're not in your little sad England. Here we do have sun occasionally.’

_‘You bloody vampire.’_

It was so hard not laughing now. God help me with this guy.  
But this is one of the reasons I want to get to know him. I know he can be a good person, and he's quite funny. Once he loses his attitude he can be cute even.  
Jacob Frye was a mystery. And I want to solve it. During our studying session I learned to see a different side of him, his guard was down, he was more focused on passing the test rather than fight with me.

And I really want to understand that side better.

‘You're on to me. Guess I'm busted. See you on Sunday.’

‘6 pm, got it.’

‘ **AM** .’

_‘Joking.’_

I shook my head in disbelief and put my phone away.

“Papa! Jacob is coming over this Sunday!”

‘No problem!’ Dad responded. I smiled and returned to my homework. This sure is going to be interesting.

 

“I hate you.” Was the first thing Jacob greeted me with when I opened the door.  
  
He texted me an hour ago that he's awake and how much he hates me for that, and ten minutes ago that he's on his way to my place.  
And now, Jacob Frye was standing at my door in training, a tank top beneath a sweater, running shoes and his hair down.  
Two things which caught my attention. First - the guy had a good mass of muscles which his clothes usually hid, but now with his jacket half open, I could see well the definition of it. Second - he looked better with his hair not styled. He probably didn't have the time to do it this morning.

“You should have more faith in yourself.” I smiled, taking the bag with his spare clothes from him and putting it in the living room.  
  
“I'm wasting precious sleeping hours on hanging out with you.”

I rolled my eyes and wore my shoes, making sure they are tied well before stepping out and closing the door.  
“Stop whining. Let's go.”

The weather outside was nice enough to allow us to have a quiet run. It was overcast, but the clouds didn't indicate it's going to rain. I turned my head a bit to look at Jacob. I could notice he was starting to sweat already as he tried to keep his breathing steady. I smiled amused and fasten the rhythm a bit, Jacob just behind me.

“See? It isn't that bad.” I said amused. I could him groan.

“I hate you so much…” He complained, making me chuckle. I don't know why, but spending time with Jacob made me feel calmer and it was a nice feeling.  But, I also felt something similar to… sadness? I don't understand why. I must be just imagining it.

I smiled as I saw Jacob next to me, looks like he finally caught up with me.

“Wipe that smile off your face Dorian.” he warned me. “I don't find this amusing at all.”

“But I do.” I chuckled.

I could feel Jacob is giving me a glare but decided to ignore it. We made a turn in the street and the next thing I knew is catching Jacob before he fell down.

“Damn shoelaces..” I heard him complaining quietly and then he lifted his eyes to look at me.

Okay, the guy has the most beautiful eye colour I've ever seen. Perfect mixture of hazel and green but they seemed… lonely?  
Jacob made me let go of him after a few seconds.

“Stop staring like a freak and get this over with.” He said, bending down to tie his shoes.

I simply nodded and we started to run again after a minute, now all I could do is watch Jacob.  
I think I'm in troubles, and those troubles called Jacob Frye.   
How can you not develop something to a guy like him? When he wasn't acting all tough he actually was quite funny and charismatic, not to say beautiful looking.

Wait, do I really have these thoughts about a guy I know for only a few months? While having a girlfriend?  
Though lately Èlise and I weren't at best terms. She got annoyed with me for spending more time with my friends and tutoring Jacob rather than being with her.  
I can't really be blamed here. The 12th year is simply crazy in here, with all the tests and homework we got. I see my friends mostly during classes, maybe sometimes we'll go out on Friday night.  
But I've spent every day of my life with her since we met. We know each other for such a long time that it seems like a stupid thing to get angry about.

Sometimes I don't understand her.

 

I met an Assassin once.  
_He was tall with brown hair tied into a ponytail. His hawk-like eyes looked at me like at pray. There was a lot of confusion in that look.  
_ His name was Arno Dorian. The Assassin of the French brotherhood.

I was exhausted.  
We made a run around the neighbourhood. Only one run, but I could feel my lungs burning and a pressure against my chest at the last few meters we ran.  
I wasn't in shape. The last time I ran was back in May with my sister before our end of year exams and the move to the states.  
But Arno was amazing. He ran ahead of me and seemed to be in a stable situation.  
I barely made it back to his house, but I must admit I missed it. It felt great running again. I can complain all I want about the fact it's too early and I hate it but by the time we were done, it was already started getting warmer.

Baguette boy was right, who knew.  
“Would you like to go running with me next week?” Arno asked as we walked inside his room.

Does he really want to go running with me again? Really? To be honest, I'm surprised.

“Yeah, I'd like to.” I nodded, taking off my shoes, “it's been too long since the last time I ran.”

“Same time?” He teased.

“Sod off.” I rolled my eyes, taking my bag from the living room. “Where's the shower?”

 

We went on a few more runs during the weekend after. Arno called me hundreds of times in the morning to wake me up and drag me outside, that I was slowly getting used to waking up early in the morning. I also made sure to tie my shoelaces really well since that accident. I really didn't feel like falling into his arms like some lady in distress again.  
  
Right now, I was in Arno's place, taking a shower before school starts.  
The feeling of the warm water against my skin felt amazing. I was sweating and felt hot, but it was too cold outside to be using the cold temperature.  
  
Hanging out with him felt odd.  
Waking up so early in the morning and going on a run with Arno Dorian was the last thing I thought I'd do.  
I don't know why, but running with him felt as if we've done it before. As if I know him, and we used to run together. It felt like a faint memory and not like ‘you remind me of a guy I used to run with’ type of thing.

The weird dreams, the weird feelings…  
Is it ever going to end? It's all because of Arno’s stupid ring. If I only ignored it instead of picking it up...  
Out of nowhere, I felt a headache.  
It wasn't a small, insignificant, pain. But one that felt as if someone was hitting my head with a hammer over and over.  
I slowly knelt down, pressing my palm again my forehead. God, it hurt.

So many things flashed in front of my eyes, many I recognized as the dreams I was having. Always two men. One is short, the other is taller. They both were Assassins of course and both had a bond between themselves.  
A bond which helped them work together as one. But then everything changed to a scene I didn't recognize. They two were standing in a room, smiling at each other. I could sense they were happy.

_‘I want you to stay here, with me. If it wasn’t for you, I would have never returned to myself. You were by my side to cheer me even if you didn’t have to. Your mission ended after all. You could return home, but you stayed.. so please, Jacob Frye, stay here. Stay in Paris with me.’_

That was when I felt the tears. Everything came back to me all of sudden.  
Arno… Arno Dorian.. **MY** Arno.   
We met before. I know him. I... **fell for him**.  
All the dreams I was having, all the confusion about him...It's all because we met one.   
Or at least our ancestors or something like this.   
  
Arno and I used to be together once, b ut the bitch got to him again. Arno is her’s.  
I can't have him.  
How do I always get the luck of falling for the same unapproachable guy?

Turning off the water, I slowly got up and dried myself. Shit, what am I going to do now? Act normal? Avoid him completely? I don't know what to do in this situation. I never was forced to be in one.  
Only when I started dressing up, I heard the yelling.  
I walked outside of the bathroom, hearing something which clearly was Arno’s voice. The other belonged to a girl I knew well.

“You.” She noticed me, stepping past Arno and walking in my direction.

“Èlise!” Arno tried to stop her.

“I knew since the very beginning you can't be trusted.” She said bitterly, her eyes glaring at me. “I was nice enough to let it go the first time, but I won't be the same fool this time as well.”

“I told you before, I don't know-”

“Don't bullshit with me!” She snapped.

At this point, I had enough. I grabbed her by the hair and pulled her closer to me.

“Listen to me well..” I said annoyed. “I don't give a single fuck about what you think. Back then, I didn't mind your empty threats because Arno's good was more important than anything else. But I'm done putting up with your shit. Get close to me again, and I'll stick my blade deep in your throat.” Letting go of her, I grabbed my bag and walked past Arno out of the house.

 

I can't stand it. I don't want to be there. I don't want to see him again. I want nothing to do with him.  
I was hurt already before, I have no plans of this to happen again. He can live his life happily with Èlise now. She's alive, she's with him. They can have the life they couldn't back then.  
I won't stand in their way. I'll keep a complete distance from him.

“Jacob!” Someone called my name. I turned around and saw Arno running towards me.

I cursed and kept walking. Fuck him and fuck his girlfriend. Why can't he just leave me alone?

“Jacob, wait!” He caught up with me, grabbing my hand. I took it back from his touch.

“Don't.”

“Jacob, look, I'm sorry about Èlise-”

“That bitch doesn't interest me at all. And I don't want your apology. I want you to leave me alone.” I said and turned to walk away.

“I can't lose you again!”

That made me freeze. Again? What does he mean in again?

“Jacob, please… I just got you back…”

I turned around to look at him. Is it possible that he remembers me? Is it possible that Arno is back?  
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I simply stood there like an idiot.  
The French got close to me, cupping my cheeks in his hands.

“Jacob…” He said softly, slowly leaning closer to me.

I couldn't move. I couldn't push him away. I couldn't say anything but watch him. For one second, I could feel his breath against my lips. And then there was nothing.  
Arno let go of me and stepped away. I looked at him confused.

“I… God, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened…” Arno stuttered.

I felt the exact same pain I felt back at his place, only now it was in my chest an not in my head. I should have known it was too good to be true.

“Don't get close to me again.” I said coldly and walked away.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...  
> Hey!  
> Staying true to my promise, here is chapter 11!  
> I'm really sorry it took so long. I didn't play the games for so long because I already played each one like 300 times, and I'm not able to play Origins (slow ass computer) and I don't even want to talk about Odyssey.   
> So I took my mind off for a bit and moved to read Youtube fanfics and follow 7 Korean guys on their world tour.   
> But, you are not here to read about my laziness...
> 
> Enjoy the chapter! I'll upload again next week.  
> I apologize for any typing/grammar mistakes ahead.

I don't know what happened to me at that time. I… Actually tried to kiss Jacob.   
I didn't mean it. I was upset with Èlise, and watching him run away without doing something felt wrong.  
It's been nearly two months since that incident.

Jacob didn't answer my texts or my calls, he ignored me at school and sometimes even avoided me completely.   
I wanted to apologize for what I did. I wanted to make things right between us.  
But I had a feeling that's not going to happen.

I broke up with Èlise for good.  
I don't know what has gotten into her, but I almost didn't recognize her. And the way she acted towards Jacob…  
I still don't understand that. As far as I know, she and Jacob aren't familiar with each other, and he has done nothing to even hit on me. If already, I started developing a crush on him.   
I hoped he'd let me talk to him, but I never got that chance.

After Thanksgiving, we got an ancestry project.  
Basically, research on our family and tell where it's from and tell about one ancestor who stood up. The time period doesn't matter as long as we keep it interesting.   
At this point, I already gave up on any hope to talk with the Brit again. Our looks met a few times in the hall, but he was quick to look away.

I decided to give him his time, I can't push on him forever.

“Ah, this is so stupid.” Altaïr, my good friend, complained as we walked out of our classroom. “I don't really have where to get any information about my family.”  
I looked at him. He's right. His father died during a war in Syria, and ever since he's been living with the Kenway family.   
I really do wonder what can he do.

“Maybe I'll go to the Auditores. They are kind of long-distance relatives.” He sighed, slamming his locker.

“If not, just explain the whole thing to the teacher. I'm sure he won't fail you.” Malik tried to calm him down.

“I really don't give any shits about if he fails me or not.” Altaïr rolled his eyes, “it's just frustrating.”

  
“Yeah, I know.” I agreed, “but when did school projects ever made sense?”   
Ancestry project… What do I know about my ancestors?   
Sure, I could ask my father, but my mother's part of the family will be left blank since she left us. Besides, the whole thing might be completely boring. Nobody ever has anything interesting to say about their families.   
I'm probably going to give up right at the beginning and do everything the night before. Yeah, that sounds like a great plan.

  
“Papa?” I asked, walking inside the house. My dad usually worked late, but I saw his car in the driveway, which means he must be home.  
But the place was empty.   
I let out a sigh before throwing my bag in my room and walking into the kitchen. When he returns I'll have to ask him if he has any information about our family. All I know that during the 18th century or so they moved to France from Austria. I don't know any names or anything like that.   
Makes you actually wonder why not study about your family earlier. Dad never told me anything about them, I hope he knows something that will help me with the project.

  
“Arno, are you home?”   
Three hours later, my dad walked into the house. I was sitting in the living room listening to music while doing my homework so I answered with a simple ‘here!’ without taking my eyes off the textbook.

“Did you eat?”

“Ah, yes. But I left some for you.” I said, “give me an hour and I'll prepare dinner.”

“Don't worry, I'll take care of that.” Dad made his way to the kitchen. I looked at him before looking back at my textbooks and continuing my homework. I'll ask him about the project later, one headache at a time.

I wonder how Altaïr is going to pull the whole thing, given the fact he's alone. It sometimes is so easy to forget he's alone, taking care of his younger brother.   
Well, not really alone. But he doesn't have any close relatives.   
I also wonder if father even has anything about our family. I mean, we left most of grandfather and grandmother's stuff back at Paris, not having any place left for them.

“Dad, listen.” I said hesitantly while setting the table, “we were given an assignment, to do an ancestry project.”   
My dad didn't respond, focusing more on finishing preparing the food. So I continued.  
“Do we have by chance anything?”

“What did you say?” Dad asked, bringing two plates with food to the table.

“I have a project to do.” I shrugged, taking out juice cartons out of the fridge and placed them on the table before sitting down. “I need information about our family..”

“Hm, a project you say…” Dad spoke, looking deep in thought. “Oh! I believe I have just the right thing!” He smiled before standing up and rushing away.

“Dad! It's not that urgent!” I called after him and sighed, waiting for him to return. What is he so excited about? It's just a stupid project. I should have asked him after dinner.

“Dad, sit down.” I scolded him when he returned, “I can look at it later.”

“I thought we might have forgotten it at Paris, but luckily I took it with us.” He handed me something wrapped in cloth.

“This is a diary which belonged to your ancestors, the one you are named after if I'm not wrong.”

“Arno?” I asked him, my father nodded.

“Yes, Arno Victor Dorian. Your grandfather used to tell me stories about him. You see, he was an assassin during the French revolution, according to his journal he even met Napoleon himself and helped him! I'm sure you'd find his journal really interesting, it even tells about how he was imprisoned in The Bastille before it was ruined. This journal really tells an untold part of the revolution.”

Wow. I had no idea I had an ancestor who met Napoleon. That's new.   
I gently peeked in the journal, being careful over the yellowing pages. I will read it, hoping it would help me with my project.   
“Thank you. I'll look at it.” I nodded at dad, “now eat. The food is getting cold.”  
Dad chuckled and sat back down with me.

To my surprise, the journal was quite interesting. The writing was still readable, so I managed to read the passages with ease although there were few words I had trouble to understand.   
From what I could understand, he lost his father at a young age, having a wealthy man take him under his care.  
He was kind of a troublesome guy, growing up, mentioning a girl named Elise which he used to hang out with a lot and cause troubles around, only to later be scolded by her father.

I couldn't help but notice the names were really similar to Elise's and mine. I didn't really mind it too much, it has been a few generations since. People usually name their children after past family relatives.  
Reading this journal gave me a deja vu feeling like I know all that written in this journal. Though, it can't be. This journal was almost 250 years old.   
But reading further this journal really made me feel like I know everything about him. Reading about Elise's death actually made me feel something heavy on my chest.   
I know I shouldn't think of it, Elise is here, annoying as ever. But it feels like the…‘Past Elise' was really important to my ancestor. They have been through a lot of ups and downs, and being from rival orders didn't make it any better.   
He really loved her, and he mentioned her a lot.

But…   
There was a point where she was mentioned less and less. A new person took her place in his journal.   
  
_‘ May 27h, 1794_

_I met someone today._   
_He said he came to help me with my mission. Nobody informed me about an Assassin who is coming, but I showed him around Paris and told him about what I've discovered and what I'm planning ahead. He was a bit too arrogant, a bit too full of himself, but a great fighter I had to admit._   
_He helped me out on small missions to bring back peace to the streets. Working with him was different than working with Elise, but it was a nice change. I was starting to enjoy his company and his nonsense alike.'_

  
_'August 6th, 1794_

_I don't know what happened. I feel so much regret._   
_Elise died, and I sunk in grief. I lost the most important person to me. I've known her my entire life, we grew up together and even though we went on our ways at one point, she never left my mind._   
_It is my fault she is gone. I shouldn't have let her join._   
_I hope she got her revenge. I hope she died with ease in her heart, knowing she avenged her father._

_Another person was hurt because of me. The guy who showed up a few months prior to the mission… ‘_

The name was blurred. The words smeared over the next few sentences.   
It wasn't readable so I skipped and continued reading.

  
_‘August 16th, 1794_   
_I got to spend last night with the one person who unknowingly gave me an opportunity for a second chance._   
_After Elise's death, I wasn't myself anymore, my surroundings became nothing but a blur to me. The voices of people sounded faded and life felt so meaningless._   
_But he was there. He stayed even after she left. He stayed even when he had no reason to._   
_He stayed, and supported me. Even after the horrible thing I've done to him._

_\---- out somewhere one evening. I had no will to go, but he insisted. I couldn't say no._   
_We rode a carriage without saying a word to each other. I didn't ask, he didn't bother explaining. It took a while, but soon we reached an area which looked familiar. But I did not know what we are---’_

The text was smeared again. I can't really complain, this journal is old.   
I closed it and put it aside, thinking about it.   
My ancestor, Arno Dorian, was an Assassin. Not surprising.   
He loved a woman named Elise, she was his entire world. Weird, but reasonable.   
She died. And someone took her place. A guy.

But... He can't have a family with a guy, I'm pretty sure of that. Besides, wasn't homosexual relationships back then kind of…   
Not acceptable?

I rubbed my eyes, looking at the time. I should probably go to sleep, I'll take the journal with me and try to read it during school.   
Putting it aside I got out of bed and changed my clothes before turning off the light and lying down.

That night, was the first time I dreamed about him.  


End file.
